NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 166: The Reaper Returns
Menchi visits several more stalls at the market, buying a variety of other meats, mostly White but also some Gray quality items. She drags Alex and Tereza into a few of the shops set up by NPCs and loads up on various cooking supplies of White quality, like spices, vegetables, flour, oils, and basic condiments.
"I'm not too sure it's a smart idea to buy all this stuff, Menchi! Sure, the system recognizes those items, but maybe the quality isn't all that different from items you'd use from the real world!" Alex says, feeling increasingly nervous as he watches the money he gave Menchi dwindle.
"No, Alex! I can feel that the quality of these items is simply insane. I don't know much about rankings, but I can tell these ingredients aren't as simple as they appear. No way the generic mass-produced items can compare. I even feel a certain energy in them. Maybe it's because of my supporter skills, but I just know this will create better dishes! Also, these cooking supplies are rated items. I feel they'll enhance my cooking as well," Menchi argues confidently.
"Yep, Menchi is correct, Alex; give it up already!" Tereza adds, supporting Menchi and pissing Alex off, especially since she's not even pretending to use logic and just blindly sides with her.
"..." Alex decides to just shut up for now, unwilling to argue further, especially since Menchi is a very stubborn character. He ignores Tereza completely.
A few hours later, Menchi has spent a total of 25,000 FC, also picking up a bunch of generic healing items and medicines, leaving her with only 20,000 FC.
"You'll ruin me, Menchi. Seriously, 30,000 FC just gone!" Alex complains, close to tears, while Menchi looks like she's reached cloud nine.
Just as they're about to leave the market, Alex receives a message from Rishi.
[Rishi: Usual place?]
[Alex: On our way!]
"Thankfully, Rishi is finally here, or else you two would have ruined me! Seriously, let's leave already. Maybe you shouldn't be allowed to visit the market; this is dangerous!" Alex grumbles.
"Stop your crying already!" Tereza scolds him, punctuating her words with a slap to Alex's ass. "You like a little ass-slapping, huh?" she teases.
Alex, refusing to back down, tries to slap her back, but Tereza skillfully avoids him, her AGI clearly higher than his.
"Excuse me, I liked doing that to Menchi, and I'll gladly try it out on you until your ass burns like it's on fire. Now stand still already!" Alex says, chasing after her, unwilling to let it go.
He notices the crowd of people staring at them. Menchi, meanwhile, is completely engrossed in reviewing all the treasures in her inventory, smiling like she just won the lottery.
"Let's go…" Alex finally says, realizing the scene they're causing. Tereza and Menchi agree, also noticing the unwanted attention.
They slowly make their way to their usual meeting spot, the abandoned ruins.
On the way, Alex reflects, This is probably one of the last times I'll visit this place. Soon we'll be leaving this small tutorial Realm forever.
When they arrive, they see Rishi already sitting down. Despite his careful grooming and his usual meticulous appearance, Alex immediately notices that he seems somewhat tired.
"Hi, Rishi. You look good, although you could have used a little bit more sleep. Why the rush?" Alex asks while giving him a small hug and shaking his hand.
"It's good to be back and see that you two are in good health. Tereza is as cold as ever to me, I see…" Rishi says, faking a look of dejection as he glances at Tereza, who barely reacts. Unlike Alex, she clearly doesn't enjoy engaging in sentimentalities with him.
Rishi's gaze shifts to Menchi, and he takes a second to register her presence. "I see we have a guest. It's nice to meet you… wait, am I indeed too tired? Menchi? Your [Destiny Supporter Token] worked like a charm, huh? Bullseye after only a single attempt?" He looks surprised and impressed as he stands and politely shakes Menchi's hand.
"So, tell me about your trip! I'm intrigued," he says, turning his attention back to Alex, clearly eager to hear the details of his recent mission.
Alex summarizes everything—his time in Tribaio village, the interactions with other players, the Hunter Exam, and his time in Heavens Arena. He also mentions the items he gained, which even makes the usually stoic Rishi appear a bit excited, maybe even jealous. When Alex gets to his [Shockwave Hammer], Nen Prodigy innate skill, and, for some reason, [Kyubei's Deception], Rishi's interest visibly deepens.
"These items are just incredible! I can't believe you got them that easily," Rishi comments, his tone betraying genuine admiration.
"Meh, I prefer the [Sacred Emerald Copper Earring] and the [Destiny Watch]," Alex responds. "The hammer is incredible, but you need a specific build to use it. It demands a close-range fighting style, and you'd need to have the skill to wield it effectively. Oh, before I forget, I got you a little souvenir. The [Elegant Shirt]."
Rishi takes a moment to examine the shirt and smirks. "You know me well. The lack of stamina due to my ridiculously low PHY is my major weakness. This helps a little, at least. Thank you. Curiously, I've never even seen a shirt item before. It seems to be quite rare. Your [Noble Shirt +1] seems to be a real treasure, though. The upgrading mechanic is also important, and we should be aware of it in the future. Your [Kyubei's Deception]… while you're clearly good-looking, Alex, I don't think it exactly suits you, especially with the armor and weapons you are usually carrying around. Mind trading it with me? I think this kind of item could be useful to me. I'm naturally good at masking my real personality, so I feel I'd get some decent use out of it. After SPR and INT, CHA is my third-highest stat."
"I can't use it anyway," Alex says, shrugging. "It's probably because of my weaponry and equipment as you said. Here, just take it for now. Give me something useful later. If we're lucky and Menchi succeeds in creating food items for us, FC won't be such a huge problem anymore. But enough about us. Tell us about your world, your strange vision, and your plan!"
Alex hands over the [Kyubei's Deception] and leans forward slightly, clearly eager to hear what Rishi's vision entails.
"So, I don't know how much Tereza told you. I'm constantly researching the Realm," Rishi begins. "As you probably know, manpower is cheap in India, and I have a few thousand people working for me investigating Realm players."
What the fuck, a few thousand? Is this real? Alex wonders, his thoughts racing. I guess with his money, even a few million wouldn't be impossible, but still….
Menchi whistles, clearly impressed, and comments, "Money is not something you should value compared to items and knowledge. You clearly know how to set up priorities."
Tereza nods in agreement.
"Anyway," Rishi continues, "what we lack is information about the main Realm. After thousands of failures, we managed to find someone willing to share what he knew for a small financial gesture, of course.... He recorded all the information he had about the main Realm, which wasn't much since he was only level 6. Afterward, the Realm punished him, and some of my investigators were also 'changed', their memories essentially fried. It turns out anyone who read the information about the Realm shared their fate. However, I took the risk and was able to read it just fine."
"To sum things up," he goes on, "the main Realm is exactly as we expected. Everything, but larger. Many specialized areas. For example, did you know there's an entire specialized area just for supporters?"
"1337 hinted at the possibility, but no, we didn't know," Alex responds, intrigued.
"The most important thing I got out of that player is this: the next mission will be difficult, but with difficulty often comes great reward," Rishi begins, his tone measured. "Not only do the risk factors increase, but the possibility of obtaining extremely rare loot is greatly enhanced. I rushed through a mission specifically so we could all join one together."
"What world did you go?" Alex asks, leaning forward, his curiosity piqued. "You should have used up a special item or entered a world with someone else, right? Usually, you have to wait until the timer ticks down to zero unless you're joining someone else's mission using a special item."
"I found someone who had a slot for a team member left. It wasn't an outright combat world," Rishi answers. "It was the world of Death Note. I got some nice spoils from it as well: [Light's Watch], and [Death Note (Weakened)]."
"What the fuck, a friggin Death Note?!" Alex exclaims, his voice full of excitement but tinged with fear. "How in the hell did you manage to obtain that? And Light's watch? Don't tell me…" Alex trails off, his mind racing to piece it together.
Rishi's expression remains cold as he answers, "Light and L are two incredible individuals, probably way smarter than me. Sadly for them, we weren't playing an even game. Sorry, but I don't need a Death Note to kill. A single mind strike is enough for a puny human… no matter how smart they are."
"..." Alex is speechless.
"I don't know that series," Tereza says, breaking the silence. "It's so lame when you talk all vague about it. So, you killed a bunch of NPCs and got those two items? What do they even do, anyway?"
"You… We told you already to read the most famous mangas!" Alex snaps, clearly exasperated. "Light and L are legendary. I can't believe you managed to come out on top. What the hell is wrong with you, Rishi, to be so nonchalant about it? That sounds like some S+ rank achievement. I wanna see those two beauties as well."
"Of course, I got an S+ rank," Rishi responds calmly, his demeanor unflinching. "You couldn't really achieve much more in that world. I got the role of an investigator, and it was my task to help L bring Kira to justice, of course, it ended up my kind of justice, where I took everything they got. The thing you're so excited about, Alex, has been nerfed to the ground, however. If it was indeed the real Death Note, I'd also be more excited."
Alex gulps, and together with Tereza and Menchi, he leans in to take a closer look at Rishi's two spoils: [Death Note (Weakened)] and [Light's Watch].
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